1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to covers for golf club heads, particularly to protective covers made for single-handed operation, and which have simple construction, are convenient to use, and easy to fabricate.
2. The Prior Art
Several types of protective covers for golf clubs are in use or proposed. Typically, the protective cover is made of fabric and put on over the head of the golf club, as in FIG. 14 hereof. The conventional protective cover A is pouch-shaped to cover both a head and an upper portion of a shaft of a golf club. The conventional protective cover A is longitudinally slit to allow easy insertion of the head and shaft of the golf club. A slide fastener Z is attached to the slit portion of the cover A and is opened before placing the cover A onto the golf club, then closed to protect the head and the upper portion of the shaft. Protective cover A is inconvenient to use because the slide fastener Z must be manipulated using both hands whenever the cover A is put onto or taken off from the golf club.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,723, by the present inventor, as shown in FIG. 15, discloses a protective cover for a golf club that is selectively opened and closed by being bent along its length. This protective cover cannot be easily opened because the protective cover uses the cover's own resilience to assist its opening. Where the protective cover is layered with a fabric, the cover is thicker and more difficult to bend and fold. Thus, it can be difficult to open and shut the protective cover with a single hand. Also, a hinge formed on a central portion of the cover body forms a hump when the protective cover is opened for inserting the golf club into the cover, which can make it less convenient to insert the golf club.
FIG. 16 illustrates a further known protective cover for a golf club, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,742. This cover includes a pair of cover bodies and a hinge between and connecting them. This hinge too forms a hump when the protective cover is opened for inserting the golf club, reducing the ease of use by encouraging the golf club to shift to one side when placed into the open cover. Further, this cover comprises a top wall F1, a side wall F2, and a bottom wall F3, are all formed through an injection molding process, which requires different injection molds for accommodating various models and sizes of heads of golf clubs in any typical set.